Peter Hall, Britain’s leading post-war planning intellectual, died on 30 July 2014. A Fellow of the RGS-IBG and recipient of the Society’s highest recognition, the Founder’s Medal, Peter’s contribution to the world of planning academe is so significant and so extensive that it almost defies description. He published around 50 books, many now seminal texts in the field, and close to 2,000 articles. Knighted in 1998, he was named as a “Pioneer in the Life of the Nation” by the Queen in 2003. He conceived of many of the most influential recent planning ideas in the UK, such as enterprise zones; London’s orbital rail and strategic growth corridors; and recently contributed to the revival of interest in Garden Cities. Peter influenced multiple UK governments through an array of advisory roles. As an academic, first at the University of Reading, then at the Bartlett School at University College, London, Peter inspired generations of professional planners. His intellectual curiosity and energy were legendary and his legacy will be long lasting, drawing from the lessons of the past, but firmly focused on planning as a force for good for the future.
A full obituary was published in The Geographical Journal